Chapter 4
Ringo
T he sun shining through the window wakes me up as it rises above the horizon. With a groan, I roll off the bed onto my feet and head straight to the bathroom.
After first relieving my bladder, I step up to the vanity, turning on the water to brush my teeth.
Putting the toothpaste on my tooth brush then into my mouth, I look at myself in the mirror as I brush vigorously.
I’m starting to notice little gray hairs starting to sprout just at my temples. Fuck! I’m not old enough for gray hairs yet!
At least, I personally don’t think a man in his mid thirties should have fucking grey hair. It must be something that I got from my fucked up father.
I finish brushing my teeth and turn the shower on, getting straight into it. Not wasting much time, I’m done within ten minutes and get dressed just as quickly.
“Morning, Ringo.” Snake’s voice stops me as I’m crossing through the room so I turn to where he’s having a cup of coffee at a table.
“What’s up man? Did the search find anything?” I ask slowly.
“It did actually. I printed it all out for you to look through. I’m fucking beat. I’m finally caught up on all the tax shit for the club businesses though.” He says, handing me a folder.
“Why are you doing the taxes anyway? Thought...we had an...accountant?” I ask, taking the folder from him.
“We did. We also have the twins to thank for no longer having one.” He rolls his eyes.
“They slept with...her?” I ask, raising my brows.
“Yes, at the exact same time and the husband caught them.”
“Fucking hell.” I shake my head.
“They’ll wish they were in hell instead of here once the Prez gets through with them.” He says, carrying his cup over to the counter and leaving it there to be cleaned up by the prospects.
“So what did you find?” I ask, opening the folder in my hand.
“Her real name is Kimberley Baker. She’s thirty one years old. Her records are a little spotty though. I can trace where her mother died and she was in the care of her father but her father went to jail when she was really young.
There’s no mention of her in the court records during that time. I have no idea where she would have been as there was no other family listed. She pops back up on the radar when she is eighteen. That record shows her coming into a hospital with labor pains. She gave birth to a little boy but only twelve hours later both she and the baby are gone without a trace.”
“What about school records?” I ask, truly confused.
“There are none past the age of nine.”
“How can a child go missing without anyone knowing, pop back up to have a child then go missing again for thirteen years?”
“I was wondering the same. The biggest question would be; Why?” Snake says.
“What about her father? Where is he now?” I ask.
“As of a year ago, he was South of the border. His records are huge. He’s on the Feds’ radar as a person of interest in a huge child trafficking ring out of Venezuela.”
“Fucking hell!” I growl.
“Yeah. So I can only assume at this point, considering what little we know, that he might have sold his own daughter before going to jail.”
“What was he in jail for and for how long?”
“For possession of meth. They released him six months later.”
“Thanks for doing this.” I nod at the folder.
“No problem. It would have gotten done either way.” He shrugs. “I’ll let the Prez know what I found. Right now, I’m going home to let my wife have her wicked way with me then I plan to give my pillow some head.” He grins, heading to the door.
Shaking my head, I look down at the folder then decide that I’ll take some breakfast over to Kimmie.
Maybe I can try to get her to tell me more about herself. Something to help fill in the blanks.
The thought that she may have been trafficked by her own father makes my stomach turn into knots. I want to break something.
Preferably her fathers face no matter if it's true or not. The Feds already know what he’s been doing. No telling how many children’s lives he’s ruined by selling them to pedophiles.
Getting on my bike outside, I stuff the folder down in my saddle bags and head into town towards Bella’s place.
Parking out front, I walk into the morning crowd and the smell of bacon frying in the kitchen.
“Hey you! What can I get for you this morning?” Bella asks with surprise on her face. She knows that I only ever come in here late at night when the crowds are all gone.
“Thought I would...take Kimmie and the...kid...”My eyes begin to look around the room at all the people and my heart speeds up.
“Some breakfast for them sounds like a great idea, Big Guy. You want to come into the back with me while I fix it?”
Grateful that Bella knows my struggle, I shake my head and give her a tight smile. She leads me through the door to the kitchen.
My heart finally starts to slow, it's pounding in my chest and I feel like I can breathe normal again.
“Are you going to look at her car today?” Bella asks, filling up three Styrofoam plates.
“After.” I nod at the plates indicating I mean after they get their food.
“Do you think it can be fixed? I noticed last night how old the thing is. I’m surprised it’s gotten her this far.”
“It looked like a piece of shit.” I nod in agreement.
“Let me know if it’s lived it’s last. I’ve still got my old one sitting in the garage that Blade won’t let me drive any more. It would be a good gas saver for her. Certainly more predictable to start when she turns the key.”
“She won’t take charity.” I say softly, remembering her reaction to the invite to stay in my cabin.
The woman will probably think it was for only last night. I’ll not allow her and that kid to stay in that fucking car another night. Not while she’s in White Summer anyway.
“Yeah, I have a feeling I’d have to convince her she is paying for it in some way.” She shakes her head, closing up the containers and putting them in a bag for me. “Here you go.”
“Thank you.” I say, taking the bag.
Turning I look at the door we came through a minute ago and wonder if I can make it all the way back outside without almost having a panic attack. I definitely will have one if anyone actually tries to speak to me.
“You can go through the back door if you want to Ringo.” Bella grabs my attention again.
“No. I need to do...normal.” I say, looking back at the door.
“You are normal Ringo. You need to remember that.” She lays her hand on my arm gently.
Looking back at her I give her a grin.
“Thanks.” I whisper.
“Are you flirting with my wife Ringo?” Blade’s voice has both our heads turning to look at the door.
“Nope.” I announce and walk straight past him. Leaving their laughter behind me.
I don’t stop until I’m back on my bike. Putting the breakfast plates into my saddle bag, making sure they won’t turn over, I climb on and take off back down the road.
Kimmie
I groan into the pillow under my face as I hear my son calling for me down the hall. He usually sleeps later than I do but we are in a new place that he most likely doesn’t remember much of from last night.
“Hey, Mom, are you awake yet?” His voice is closer and I know he’s now come into the bedroom where I’m at.
“Yeah, what is it?” I ask, raising my head and opening my eyes to look at him.
“I was just checking. Can I go explore?” He asks, plopping down on the side of the bed.
“How long have you been up?” I ask, raising up to a sitting position.
“Couple hours.” He shrugs.
“Couple hours?” I look over at the clock on the wall that says it’s nearly noon. “Why didn’t you wake me sooner? It’s almost lunch time!”
“The big guy from last night told me to let you sleep in.”
“You mean Ringo? He’s here?” I ask as I move to get up from the bed to look through my bag for something to wear.
“He was here. He brought breakfast but left again. Yours is on the counter. He said I couldn’t explore outside until you got up. Can I go now?”
Finding some clothes in my bag, I hold them to my chest as I debate with myself what to say here. We really don’t know the area but I don’t want him feeling like I keep him too close.
“Sure but stay within sight of the cabin please.” I answer and he’s smiling before I even finish.
“Thanks Mom!” He jumps up and runs for the door.
Going into the bathroom, I wash my face and change clothes before brushing through my hair. Brushing my teeth quickly, I head into the kitchen to see what Ringo brought for breakfast. I really can’t believe how nice the man is.
Finding the container on the counter, I recognize the packaging from Bella’s Brew. Opening it up, I find eggs, sausage, biscuit and a container of gravy.
Walking over to the refrigerator, I open it to find there are several types of drinks sitting on the top shelf. Grabbing one, I sit at the counter and eat my fill of the food in front of me.
As soon as I am done and putting everything in the garbage, Remington walks back through the door with a huge grin on his face.
“I saw a skunk!” He exclaims.
“Oh, Lord, please don’t mess with the wild life. I have no idea how to even remotely get skunk spray off a thirteen year old boy!” I smile at him.
“I didn’t get that close! I could smell him before I even saw him in the bushes. Was cool!” He says, taking the chair next to me.
“I’m glad you're enjoying yourself.”
“It’s a lot better than being in the car.” He says brightly although his words make my heart hurt for us both.
“I’m sorry kiddo. I’ve done the best that I can.”
“I know you have. It’s okay, Mom. None of this is your fault.” He smiles at me and I lean over, kissing him on the head.
My sweet boy at only thirteen years old already knows way more about life than any child ever should. While I have given him the PG version of everything when he’s asked, I’ve made sure to be honest about it all.
I feel like people don’t give children enough credit when it comes to being able to understand adult type things. Honesty is the best thing a child could ever have from a parent.
It’s something that I never had for myself. From anyone.
Ringo
“How’s it looking under there?” Timber, my Prez asks just as I’m rolling myself back from under the car.
“Like fucking shit.” I snarl. “It needs a new alternator, the radiator has a rusted out hole in it and the head gasket is leaking so bad that I’m fairly sure it’s completely gone.”
“That could add up quickly.” He says, handing me an oil rag to wipe my hands off.
“Cost more to fix than it’s worth.” I answer and he shakes his head.
“Snake filled me in on his search and said that you suspect she’s running from something. Do you think she’d tell you if you asked?”
“She...doesn’t know...me.” I answer honestly.
“Then let her get to know you.” He says but I just shrug my shoulders. “Bella is going to try to talk to her as well. She’s going to let her know the club can help her. There’s no need for a woman to constantly be on the run, scared for her and her son's life. No matter what the issue is.” He says.
His words remind me of what I know about her father. How in the world do you ask a woman if she was sold as a sex slave by her own flesh and blood?
“I’m not sure I can...talk to her...without...”
“Ringo, your so-called issues with talking only come out when you let yourself feel overwhelmed. Even your therapist suspects it's completely gone. You’re the only one who’s afraid of it coming out.” He slaps me on the shoulder as he turns away.
Looking back at the car, my lip curls up at how shitty this car really is. How the hell did the woman not already break down somewhere on the road is a complete mystery.
Heading into the shop bathroom, I clean up as best that I can before going back to the clubhouse to take another shower. While I like working on engines, I do not like walking around smelling like old burnt oil all the time.
Forty minutes later I pull up to my cabin in an SUV knowing that Kimmie will need a ride to work. As I pull up, I spot the kid, Remington coming around the house with a huge grin.
He spots me getting out of the vehicle and waits for me at the bottom of the porch steps.
“Mom’s inside getting ready for work.” He says and I nod, turning to take a seat on the top step.
Sitting there quietly, the kid takes a seat as well on the other side of me.
“Are you here to give us a ride since our car isn’t here?” He asks.
“Yes.” I answer.
“Cool.” He shakes his head and we both sit there staring out over the yard. “It’s so pretty here.” He says a few minutes later, breaking our silence.
“It is. It’s part of the reason I picked this place.” I say.
“What was the rest of the reason?” He asks and I raise a brow. “For picking this cabin?”
“It’s quiet.” I answer honestly.
“I don’t like noise either.” He says so quietly that I almost don’t hear it. When I start to ask him why he doesn’t like noise, the door behind us opens.
“Hey, I didn’t know you were here.” Kimmie says, looking right at me as she walks out.
She almost takes my breath away as she comes closer. She’s had a shower this morning and her hair is down, framing her beautiful face. My heart thumps in my chest so hard I would swear I was about to have a heart attack.
Here I was thinking that relieving my stress with Tina last night would make my body more relaxed around Kimmie. I couldn’t have been more wrong in my thinking.
At this very moment, I’m not sure anything could relax me around her.
“Ride.” I say, nodding to the SUV parked in the driveway.
Her eyes look towards it but her smile doesn’t fade at my one word sentence.
“Okay. Remmy? Go get your stuff please. I need to get to the cafe soon or Bella may fire me.” She chuckles.
“She wouldn’t.” I say automatically and her eyes look straight at me.
It’s almost like being punched in the gut to have her full attention. What would it be like to have those eyes look at me like that while I’m buried deep inside of her?
My cock jumps at the thought. To keep myself from going completely hard, I turn away from her and go back down the stairs.
“I’ll wait in the...truck.” I say, walking quickly to hide the almost full tent that is popping up in my jeans.
“Okay...” I hear her voice behind me as I walk away.
Getting into the SUV, I start it up and wait only a few minutes before they climb inside.
“Thank you.” She says a few minutes down the road and I glance over at her.
“Welcome.” I say just as we are getting into town. I want to ask her questions about her life to try to figure out what she has been through but I know there’s not enough time. Instead I make the decision to try to talk to her after her shift is over and I pick her up at the end of the night.
Parking at Bella’s Brew, they both get out quickly but Kimmie looks back at me with that same smile she has had since I picked her up.
“Any news about my car? I meant to ask before we got here but it slipped my mind.” Her cheeks flush red and I wonder why.
“It’s...a lot of things. I’ll...come by...later to...go over all of it.” Not wanting to tell her that she is better off just getting a new car.
“Okay. See you.” She says, shutting the door.
I watch her as she walks all the way to the door and wait until she’s inside before pulling away.
Kimmie
Walking into work, I send Remmy to a table in the back and make my way to the kitchen where I find Bella at the stove with her mom who helps her out a lot.
“Kimmie! Glad you’re finally here so I have someone to talk to.” Bella says.
“What exactly am I? Chopped liver?” Her moms huffs next to her and Bella just laughs.
“Kimmie doesn’t say shit to me that I’ll need more therapy to get past.” Bella answers while her mom just laughs.
I watched how they interacted yesterday before her mom left for the day. I envy what they have together.
It’s something that I’ve never known myself considering that I never had a mother. At least not one that I remember anyway.
Growing up, there was no other woman to take the place of what a mother would be. The only woman I ever remember being nice to me were the ones at the hospital where Remmy was born.
I could tell that they knew something was wrong and I was scared they were going to take my baby. Just like I knew Hugo would have for other reasons.
“Come to my office. I need to talk with you for a moment.” Bella says and my stomach flip flops at the thought that I may be getting fired anyway.
Walking into the room, she turns and shuts the door behind us, making my nervousness even worse.
“I’m getting fired, aren’t I?” I say.
“What? No! That’s not why I asked you to come in here.” She shakes her head. “I asked you in here to talk to you. About your social security number.” She looks at me expectantly.
In all the craziness that has happened since last night, I completely forgot that she was needing that. My brain works quickly trying to come up with a reason that I don’t have it.
“Please don’t come up with a lie for my sake. You can be honest with me. You’re not going to lose this job even if I need to pay you off the books.” Her comment has me looking at her fully with wide eyes.
I open my mouth to speak but nothing comes out so I shut it again.
“Can you at least tell me what or who you are running from?” She asks softly, drawing my eyes back to her.
“Remmy’s father.” I finally answer, making the decision to trust her with some of it.
“How long have you been running?” She asks without any judgment on her face.
“Thirteen years.” I answer honestly.
“That’s a really long time to be running from someone.”
“Hugo’s not a good man.” I answer as tears well up in my eyes and the brand on my thigh burns under my clothes.
“I won’t push you to tell me everything right now. I’m hoping you’ll let me in on your own because we’re going to be great friends.” She smiles, laying her hand on my shoulder.
I smile back at her, grateful for her understanding. I’m not sure about ever letting anyone know the full story of my fucked up life.
“Come on. I’m sure the cafe is starting to fill up with the afternoon crowd. Where’s Remmy?” She asks as we make our way out of her office.